Bite Size Comms

According to articles in the Daily Mail and the Guardian, the common British tradition of saying “thank you” is dying out, especially among young people – generation Z. The newspapers cited a poll by the Nationwide Building Society that found that a fifth of young people felt uncomfortable saying thanks. One young person said, “It’s awkward, outdated and feels forced”. They would rather send a thumbs-up emoji. Alternatively, they use the TYSM abbreviation (thank you so much, if you haven’t worked that one out!). I’ve noticed that many of my PR apprentices reply to my emails with a thumbs-up or even a heart emoji.

Apparently, 36% of people polled said they did not believe the ‘thank you’ remark was important, with 55% noticing that they were being thanked less often. Oh, and the poll found that the most polite cities in the UK were Brighton, Manchester and Bristol. Residents in those localities say thanks at least 15 times a day. Apart from the emojis, ‘cheers’ is apparently the most popular way to show appreciation. Isn’t that a throwback to the 1970s? Followed by ‘much appreciated’, ‘I owe you one’ and ‘ta’ (or ‘ta la’ in Scouse). I can be found replying with a ‘You’re welcome’, but I wonder if that is too American, like ‘Have a nice day’.

Thank you originated from the old English noun ‘thank’, which meant ‘thought’. To thank someone meant kind thoughts, or goodwill, in return for something. In English, thank you expresses gratitude rather than indebtedness (which is the case in some other languages). 

What does this trend mean for PR/communications practitioners working at companies or in the public or non-governmental sectors who want to maintain effective engagement with audiences, especially younger ones?

Recent studies suggest that incorporating emojis can improve engagement in digital communication by as much as one-third, especially in expressions of gratitude. Think 🙏 and 🙌🏾, or 👍🏻 or 👌🏾. However, using emojis does introduce communication nuances, depending on the communicators’ relationship, context, and cultural background. For example, our 👍🏼 was originally considered offensive in Iran. The 🙏 that is often used to express gratitude in Western contexts carries religious connotations of prayer or blessing in other cultural settings. It was once considered inappropriate to use emojis for professional communication. A recent Slack survey of 9,400 office workers found that 58% globally believed emojis at work provide more nuance in fewer words, and 54% believed emojis provide greater efficiency in communication. A shift. A thought for internal communicators. With employees increasingly connected via screens, the theory of digital emotion contagion comes into play. Emotions are more readily transmitted in the digital workspace. Employees who use emojis are seen to be more empathetic and approachable.

We want to engage our audiences, and emojis are part of the modern vernacular. There are some pitfalls to avoid. Some emojis that look innocent actually carry complex meanings to younger people and may hide sarcasm or be offensive. It is, therefore, good practice to include guidance on using emojis in an organisation’s style guide. Emojis for informal internal communication and social media, but the more traditional ‘thank you’ in formal external communication should be suitable for most organisations. At the same time, cultural and generational differences should be considered in how gratitude is expressed. Try to understand when, how and with whom different expressions of appreciation will resonate most effectively.

So, thank you for reading this, or cheers, have a nice one!

[Image of a thumbs-up from Pexels]